The Rangers traveled to Seattle over Memorial Day weekend and head to Arizona after winning a three game series against the Mariners 2-1.

After winning the first two games, Texas was in position to sweep the series but Seattle forced the issue in game three; winning 4-3 after 13 innings on Sunday.

Saunders Continues to be Rangers Punching Bag:

Coming into Friday’s game, Seattle pitcher Joe Saunders had made 13 starts at Safeco Field and was undefeated. He had a 9-0 record and a 1.72 ERA in Seattle. Unfortunately for Saunders, the Rangers seem to have his number no matter what field he is standing on.

Saunders surrendered six runs in five innings in Texas’ 9-5 win. After the loss, he is 3-9 with an ERA of 6.60 in his 14 career starts against Texas. That ERA is the third highest for any pitcher with at least 10 starts against the Rangers.

Texas got eight of its 13 hits against Saunders and took him deep twice.

Jeff Baker started things off for Texas in the top of the second inning, with his two-run shot that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

In the Seattle half of the the second, Jesus Surce came to the plate with runners at first and second with nobody out. He grounded to first baseman Mitch Moreland, who threw to second and raced to cover first for the double-play. Grimm was also running to first, but never got there. Subsequently, Elvis Andrus’ throw was caught by Grimm off the bag, but Surce was called out anyways.

The missed call became magnified when Grimm gave up a two-out double to Brendan Ryan, that drove in Raul Ibanez from third. Grimm then struck out Michael Saunders to keep the game tied at 2-2, when it could have easily been 4-2 in Seattle’s favor.

After a Lance Berkman three-run homer in the top of the third, Justin Grimm allowed three consecutive two-out hits in the bottom of the inning. Seattle managed to cut the Rangers lead to two, but Grimm ended his outing with three shut-out innings to get the win.

Grimm has a two-game winning streak going, and is 4-3 with a 4.05 ERA after eight starts.

The Dutch Oven Out Duels ‘King’ Felix:

Derek Holland loves Safeco Field and Ranger fans know that he performs well against the Mariners. After beating Seattle 5-2 on Saturday, Holland has eight wins against the Mariners and has yet to allow an earned run in Seattle as a starter.

Holland out pitched Felix Hernandez by allowing two unearned runs in 6 2/3 innings. Hernandez gave up 11 hits and struck out nine in his 5 2/3 innings of work. He is now 8-2 with a 3.39 ERA against the Mariners in 10 career starts.

The victory was Holland’s first over Hernandez but the losing to Texas is nothing new to the former American League Cy Young winner. Hernandez’s 18 losses to the Rangers ranks second all time. The Rangers have beat Hernandez twice this season; making him 12 with a 3.87 ERA in his career against Texas.

David Murphy had a good night and is starting to come around. He struggled in April and early in May, but has really started to see the ball well and is raising his average. In April Murphy was batting .176 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. In May, he is hitting .279 with 4 HR and 16 RBI.

In addition to Hollands stellar performance, Ranger closer Joe Nathan pitched a 1-2-3 ninth; picking up his 16th save and continuing his dominance in 2013.

Holland moves to 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA on the season. He is also 3-0 with an ERA of 2.53 through five starts in May.

Nathan Unable to Complete Sweep:

On the brink of being swept, the Seattle Mariners forced the Rangers to play 13 inning of baseball.

In the bottom of the 11th inning with a 3-2 lead, there wasn’t anyone the Rangers wanted on the mound other than closer, Joe Nathan. On Saturday he shut the door on Seattle to pick up his 16th save of the season and his 31st consecutive road save. On Sunday, he couldn’t get it done.

Nathan gave up a game-tying home run to Raul Ibanez, which lead to Jason Bay driving in the game-winning run off a broken-bat single in the 13th inning off of reliever Ross Wolf.

Texas jumped out in front early when Jurickson Profar homered from the lead-off spot in the first inning. However the Rangers were unable to keep the lead and couldn’t reclaimed it until catcher A.J. Pierzynski drove in a run in the 11th inning- making the game 3-2.

The Rangers used a total of seven pitchers on Sunday. This is cause for concern for Ranger fans because on Monday Texas will play a double-header in Arizona.

Manager Ron Washington has stated that he will not make any roster moves other than adding starter Martin Perez. For the bullpen and the Rangers’ sake, lets hope that tomorrow’s starters (Perez and Yu Darvish) pitch late into the game.

Despite losing their three-game series to Oakland 2-1, the Texas Rangers went 4-3 during their seven game home stand and have a five and a half game lead in the AL West.

Rangers Out Muscle the Tigers, Win Series 3-1

Texas hit .350 and scored 29 runs in the series while it’s pitching held the Tigers to a .243 BA with 16 runs. The Rangers overpowered Detroit and won three out of four.

The series began with the highly anticipated pitching duel between Detroit’s ace Justin Verlander and Texas’ ace Yu Darvish. The high expectations coming into the game failed to materialize as neither was overly impressive in the Rangers 10-4 victory. However Verlander had a significantly rougher outing than Darvish; the Rangers ran him out of the Ballpark with a seven-run third inning.

Game two of the series saw Rangers’ pitcher Nick Tepesch turn in his second consecutive quality start; giving up two runs in five innings of work. However, the Rangers’ bats dried up and could only give Tepesch one run. The lack of run support from the Texas lineup allowed Detroit to take game two 2-1.

Following Tepesch’s lead, Justin Grimm held the Tigers to 2 runs in the Rangers 7-2 victory over Detroit in game three.

The Rangers continued to hit well in game four but Derek Holland struggled and gave up four runs in 4.2 innings of work. After Detroit starter Derek Fister was pulled in the fifth, the Rangers jumped on the Tigers bullpen for six runs in the final three innings to pull out the 11-8 win in the final game of the series.

Oakland’s Pitching Keeps the Bats of Texas in Check, Rangers Lose Series 2-1

If Texas’ bats were good against Detroit, they were awful against Oakland. The A’s held the Rangers to a .174 BA and allowed only five runs in three games.

In game one, Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon held the Rangers to two runs in seven innings of work. The A’s also added nine runs to Colon’s stellar start to rout the Rangers 9-2. The upside for the Ranger is top prospect, Jurickson Profar drove in two runs in his start at second for an injured Ian Kinsler.

Game two saw Texas’ Yu Darvish allow one run in six innings, however the Rangers were unable to provide their ace with any run support and only managed three hits in the ballgame. Detroit beat Texas 1-0; securing the series and narrowing the Rangers lead in the AL West.

The Rangers surprised everyone in game three, when they called up relatively unknown pitcher Ross Wolf to start in game three. Wolf pitched into the sixth and allowed only one run on three hits. Texas’ Adrian Beltre and David Murphy drove in a combined three runs to lift the Rangers over the A’s 3-1 and prevent the sweep.

Looking Ahead

The Rangers will look for another quality start from Justin Grimm when they begin their series against Seattle on Friday. Going into the series the Rangers are number one in the American League and number two in baseball, with a record of 30-17.

In contrast, Seattle is 10 games behind the Rangers and fourth in the AL West. The Mariners will start Joe Saunders on Friday. Saunders’ ERA of 5.64 should have the Rangers licking their chops.

Game two will feature Derek Holland squaring off against Seattle ace “King” Felix Hernandez. Both pitchers have been struggling as of late. Hernandez gave up five runs in six innings on Sunday against Cleveland. Holland began May strong, posting a .20 ERA in his first two starts of the month. Holland has fallen off and has a 6.97 ERA over hes last two starts.

Nick Tepesch will look to close things out for the Rangers against Seattle’s Hiashi Iwakuma. Tepesch missed his last scheduled start due to a blister on his right middle finger. The last time he faced the Mariners he allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings. Iwakuma has been like Seattle’s second ace this season. He comes into the series with a 2.37 ERA. His opponents are hitting .194 against him this season.

This series will rely heavily on Texas’ pitching. If Grimm and Holland can bring their A-game, and Tepesch can keep the game close, he Rangers should have no problem taking the series.

With one-fifth of the season in the rear-view mirror, the Texas Rangers find themselves firmly placed as one of the top three teams in the MLB. The Rangers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox are all 20-11 and sitting atop of its respective conferences.

However, after sweeping Boston at home, Texas is not feeling the love of the east coast media as ESPN has them second behind the Red Sox who jumped from third to first in the weekly power rankings. The Rangers previously held the top spot for just one week.

ESPN fails to give any explanation other than talking about Yu Darvish and Clay Buckholtz’s recent success on the mound.

Maybe Bristol doesn’t like all of Ron Washington’s TV advertisements.

Maybe it’s the strength of schedule. The Red Sox are the only team with a winning record that the Rangers have faced all season but in the face of the best team in the league, Texas made the Sox look like the Astros.

Power rankings are based on a team’s recent performance over the past seven days and jumps and drops in rankings can really only be so many spots. So if the Marlins were to win their next six games they won’t immediately be in the top ten but the difference between first and second brings the majority of discussion especially when the matchup of the top two teams was dominated by “underdogs.”

If ESPN refuses to recognize the Detroit Tigers 9-1 record in the last ten games by keeping them out of the top three, there is no excuse not to have the Rangers at number one after outscoring the Sox 16-4 over the weekend.

The Rangers took it upon itself to flex its top ranked pitching staff this weekend. A team earned run average of 3.05 and a WHP of 1.16 are best in the majors and an opponent batting average of .231. The BAA is first with Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs.

The pitching is bound to improve as well with Neftali Feliz and Colby Lewis inching their way back to health.

Call it the east coast bias and the attachment to the turnaround of the Boston organization if you want but the numbers don’t match up.

Given the state of the Rangers, the second half of the season could be where it pulls away from the rest of the AL West because of the current state of the back half of its rotation back and the mid-season expedition for an extra bat near the all-star break.

In week six of a 162 game schedule, the power rankings are irrelevant to an extent but around this time the elite teams begin to expose themselves and taking control of power rankings is one of the best ways to assume control of the league outside the foul lines.

Perhaps the upcoming two game series against the Brewers and a three game series versus the Astros could right the ship and assign a more deserving spot to arguably the best team in the MLB.

It’s just what the Rangers’ offseason needed. A current player linked to PED use. Not only that though, but a player that was supposed to have a major role this year.

This Miami News Times article links Nelson Cruz to Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic in Miami that provides players, trainers and coaches (and not just MLB guys either, but college baseball players and at least one pro tennis player) with HGH, testosterone and anabolic steroids.

Now, the MLB, if it chooses to do so, still needs to investigate these links and actually find hard evidence that the players listed, including Cruz, Gio Gonzales, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and, yup, Alex Rodriguez, actually used any of the substances this clinic provides.

So now we have an idea of where Cruz’s boomstick may have gotten its bite.

Cruz, 32, hopped around the league quite a bit before being traded to the Rangers in 2006. Prior to his time in Texas, Cruz was a member of the Mets, Athletics and Brewers’ organizations, however his only major league appearances came with the Brewers in 2005.

Nelly was a piece of the Carlos Lee trade, where the Rangers shipped Laynce Nix, Kevin Mench and Francisco Cordero to Milwaukee for Lee and Cruz.

It’s upsetting news to say the least. I really, really like Nelson Cruz, and I really want to believe he didn’t do this, but in a league riddled with cheatin, it’s hard to fathom his innocence.

It’s an unfortunate circumstance, to have to think about it that way, but it’s the truth.

If it is proven that Cruz did use PEDs, a 50 game suspension is looming, and the Rangers will need to scramble to replace him in right field and at the plate. This makes not getting Justin Upton hurt a whole lot more, that’s for sure.

We’ll try to keep you updated with the latest news, but for now, that’s all.

I expect it to be a busy winter for Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan, Ron Washington and the Rangers’ front office, after the disappointment of losing the second largest division lead in MLB history has left the Rangers out of contention for their third straight World Series appearance.

It would really surprise me if Dempster, Lowe, Oswalt and Feldman found their way back on this team next year.

None of them lived up to any kind of potential this season, and the Rangers will be looking to revamp their bullpen.

After Koji’s performance down the stretch this season, upon returning from the DL, he pitched out of his mind. In 36 innings pitched this year, Uehara had a 1.75 ERA and 43 strikeouts, countered by only three walks. In short, pay this man his money. He’ll be a good late inning reliever for this team again next year.

Big question marks to return are Mike Napoli and Mike Adams.

Mike Napoli

Napoli has become a fan favorite in his two seasons as a Ranger, and he’s an absolute Angel killer (which every Rangers fan loves).

However, according to some insiders, Napoli could command up to four years, $44 million this offseason.

I’m not so sure Jon Daniels will want to pay that much for an average defensive catcher who hit .227 on the season. If he can talk Napoli down to around two years, at about $10-$12 million/year, then look for him to pull the trigger. If not, expect to see Napoli walk away.

Possible replacements for Mike Napoli:

If that is the case, look for the Rangers to pursue guys like Wil Nieves (Arizona) or A.J. Pierzynski (Chicago White Sox). Both are solid defensive catchers, and they have been consistently better hitters than Napoli over their careers.

I’ve always been a fan of Pierzynski. He’s kind of a hot head, but he’s a good catcher and a great hitter at his position. It will be difficult to pull him away though, but the Rangers have the cash to pull it off.

Mike Adams

If Mike Adams was healthy down the stretch this season, resigning him would be a no-brainer, right? I’m not so sure. He’s the player that I feel is going to be gone, and it’ll make a lot of people upset.

But look at the stats. He allowed 56 hits and 21 runs (19 earned) in 52.1 innings pitched, walked 17, and had an ERA over 3. That’s not acceptable for a guy who is supposed to be your eighth inning guy.

I think the Rangers will wait and see how Adams is recovering before re-evaluating him, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go somewhere else.

Possible replacements for Mike Adams:

Francisco Rodriguez is an intriguing name to me. He didn’t have a great year with Milwaukee, posting a 4+ ERA. However, he’s a lifetime 2.70 ERA guy, and he’s a proven late inning guy. For his career he has 294 saves, and this year he recorded 32 holds.

Another interesting name is Ryan Madson. Madson had Tommy John surgery before the 2012 season, the same procedure Joe Nathan had before 2011. Prior to his surgery, Madson had developed into a fantastic setup man, and temporary closer, for the Phillies.

His fastball tops out at 97 mph, and he has a devastating changeup.

The Big Free Agent Decision

But the real question of the offseason is Josh Hamilton. Earlier this week an anonymous member of the Rangers front office said that Hamilton wouldn’t be coming back to Texas, “even if he wanted to play for free.”

Today, Jon Daniels said during the Rangers’ end of year press conference, that they would probably not make an offer to Josh during the three week, exclusive negotiating window provided to teams with free agents.

That’s a pretty good indication of how the organization feels, and the fans definitely reflect that sentiment. Josh Hamilton has worn out his welcome.

However, I do see the Rangers being in the running for Josh Hamilton if the contract offers don’t get absurdly out of hand.

If the biggest offers he sees hover around four or five years, $100 million dollars, I feel like Texas will extend some sort of competing offer.

If things go longer in years, or bigger in bucks, Texas will bow out. Frankly, I hope the Rangers don’t make an offer, because there are a few big names out there that I think would be good additions to this team.

Replacing Josh Hamilton

Obviously, it’s going to be difficult to replace Josh Hamilton’s production with a single player, but the Rangers could use that money to get an above average bat and a starting arm.

Two names that I think the Rangers should pursue are Nick Swisher and Zack Greinke. Swisher is going to be a good value option for multiple teams this season. He’s a productive hitter and a decent fielder, and would fit well into this Rangers lineup. He’s a switch hitter, something the Rangers are without right now, and on most days would be able to provide a productive left-handed bat.

Another possible fit is Michael Bourn. However, I get the feeling that Bourn is a bit of a pipe dream. He had a solid season in Atlanta, and by all accounts, they’re ready to throw the whole bank at him. I’m pretty sure the Rangers won’t be willing to fork over that much dough for a guy who had, by his standards, a less than solid year.

If there isn’t a free agent on the market that the Rangers wind up being interested in, they can always go the trade route.

Justin Upton is the first name that comes to mind, as he’s arguably the biggest fish not on the free agent market that could be moved this offseason.

One thing, Rangers fans, it would probably take Mike Olt to get Upton to Texas.

It’s a move I would be willing to make, simply because Olt isn’t going to overtake Beltre, so for the next four years, his productivity here is limited.

I was against trading Olt for Zack Greinke earlier this season, because I didn’t think there was enough value in giving away a top prospect in the league (not just the organization) for a rental player.

However, Upton has three more years remaining on his current contract, and is only 25. His potential is through the roof.

If the Rangers could manage to pull off a trade for Upton, I would consider this offseason a win, regardless of anything else.

I’d also like to see this team bring in Zack Greinke, one, to take him away from the Angels, and two, because with Greinke and Darvish, the Rangers would have one of the deadliest one-two punches in the league at the top of their rotation.

The Rest of the Roster

The Rangers will need to add more than just one or two arms to their bullpen, and there are several other targets out there in free agency, including Jeremy Affeldt, Jon Rauch and Brandon Lyon.

I’ll expect to see Tanner Scheppers up at the beginning of the year as well, to fill out the rotation, along with one or two minor leaguers that may make an impression during spring training.

Colby Lewis will also be back next year, as he signed a one-year/$2 million deal for 2013.

The Rangers will also need to address the traffic jam at middle infield. Jurickson Profar is an MLB ready guy, but there’s nowhere to put him.

That’s why I think the Rangers need to do one of two things with Ian Kinsler.

Ian Kinsler Option #1: Move him to left field

Kinsler has the speed and the arm to play left field on a day-to-day basis for this club. Moving him to left field allows Profar to slide into the lineup at second base.

Ian Kinsler Option #2: Trade him for a #3 pitcher.

Kinsler is a valuable asset around the league. For teams that need a productive, top tier defensive second baseman, they’d be willing to give up a piece or two. My first thought would be Detroit, who may be willing to part with someone like Rick Porcello or Doug Fister, and possibly a prospect or two (maybe Bryan Holaday?!) to sweeten the deal.

The fact of the matter is, Profar is too good to leave on the bench, and it makes more sense to move Kinsler than it does him.

The Michael Young Conundrum

A lot of people were disappointed to see Michael Young in the field at the end of the year instead of young players like Olt and Profar when guys needed days off.

My line of thought is, when you’re paying a guy $16 million this year, you’re inclined to play him over others (I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s just my first inclination).

Now, Young’s poor season has made him a scapegoat, and it’ll be difficult for people to welcome him back to this team next year. However, unless another team is going to take on his $16 million due to him next season, or he retires, he’s going to be in a Rangers uniform.

Get used to seeing him one more season, and instead of dog-piling on him, let’s pull for him to return to 2011 form, when his line was .338/.380/.474/.854 with 200+ hits and 100+ RBI.

It will be an exciting offseason, that’s for sure. Now though, it’s mostly a waiting game.

Certainly been a fun weekend for the MLB. Well, not for this little guy above, but hey, life goes on. With Alabama Shakes’s “Boys & Girls” on the stereo, I’m gonna dive in to the postseason thus far.

*****

Wildcard Friday gave us as much excitement as we could’ve wanted. The Cardinals-Braves game played out like a daytime drama, complete with broken hearts, miscommunication and people throwing ketchup bottles into the outfield. The majority of Braves nation wants to stake this loss on a controversial infield fly rule in the seventh inning. After Andrelton Simmons popped up to shallow left with one out and two on, Redbird shortstop Pete Kozma got under the ball and waved off the outfielder Matt Holliday. Kozma, at the last second, flinched and pulled off the ball, letting it fall to the ground. The left field umpire raised his hand to indicate the infield fly rule and then the Atlanta fans proceeded to confirm every stereotype of redneck sports fans, littering the outfield with debris from beer bottles to baseballs. I’ve heard plenty of responses to the Atlanta protest, but I don’t believe it requires any further analysis beyond reading the infield fly rule. Rule 2.00 from the handbook says that infield fly can be attributed to “any fair, fly ball that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort.” Kozma was in the outfield, yes, but that was a play routinely made by short stops, and thus, it stands. Atlanta fans should take Chipper’s advice and focus on their efforts in the field – or lack thereof. The Cardinals went on to hold on to the final score of 6-2, securing them a bid in the NLDS versus the league best Nationals.

The Orioles and Rangers were determined to make this postseason exciting. Theirs was a true “Game 163,” both teams with the same record, winner moves on. Joe Saunders for the Orioles willed his team to a win, really, holding Texas to one run in the first, and nothing more over 5 2/3. The story here was the three and four hitters for Texas. Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre went a combined 0-8 against the O’s pitching staff Friday. I can’t speak to what’s going on with Beltre, everyone has a bad game here and there, but as for Hamilton… Well, I think it’s evident that Josh doesn’t want to be in Texas anymore. I’ll speak more to this on a piece Jamie and I are working on for later in the week, but, it’s a really tough situation. For the fans, for Josh, for everyone. But he showed towards the end of the season that he had no interest in getting re-signed by the Rangers, which is convenient because it appears the Ranger’s hold a similar sentiment. So, a couple of Nate McLouth RBIs later, the Orioles are going to New York. Or, rather, the Yankees are coming to Baltimore. For home field advantage? Does anyone have Joe Torre’s phone number? I have some questions. They should’ve re-seeded.

On Saturday we saw the first two games of the Division Series – Oakland at Detroit and Cincinnati at San Francisco. We’ll take a break from Wild Card and look at these series. As a Cardinals fan, its hard for me to write about Cincinnati without foaming at the mouth, but I’ll go ahead and try to get that out of the way. The Reds are good. They’re so good. Only Washington has a better rotation than them, and their lineup is full of guys hitting outside their minds. If you’d told me that Ryan Ludwick would be carrying a team in the playoffs in 2012, I would have laughed in your face. Shows how much I know. I don’t see Cincinnati losing a game to San Francisco, as they play back in Cincy on Tuesday. The Wizard, Homer Bailey, takes the mound, and the Giants don’t have the bats to answer. Despite having the NL MVP – Posey has my vote, at least – the Giants just aren’t deep enough to keep pace with the Reds, and that’ll be confirmed as the NL Central champs cruise into the NLCS.

Oakland at Detroit is a series that frustrates me because of the league’s tinkering with the home field advantage. Here you have a team like Oakland, who won their division, has a better record than Detroit, who gets penalized by having to fly out to Detroit to play two games of a five game series before they even see their own field. And against the Tigers, it was almost certain they’d lose these two against Verlander and Fister. It’s just crazy that Oakland will be robbed of homefield when they lose this series in two in Oakland. The new playoff system needs some tinkering, for sure, and the A’s are the poster child for it. A winner of a competitive division should have the advantage over a mediocre team who won a mediocre division with a worse record. That’s just silly. The A’s still have some fight in them, but with Scherzer and Verlander projected to pitch Games 4 and 5, it’ll take some serious effort to win this series.

I want to go into a rant about the Cardinals here. I want to criticize their ridiculous left on base numbers, their pitching changes, their efforts, but I won’t. The take away from Game One of this series is that the Nationals are a solid team, all nine innings, and it takes near perfection to beat them. The Cardinals only had three hits against Gio, and they scored their only two runs before they got their first hit. The Nationals are young, in a playoff sense, and experience does matter, but guys playing this solid nine innings ball with shut down relievers are going to be hard to beat in a series. Ok, I’m gonna lose it – if I hear ONE MORE Cardinals player/fan/blogger complain about the shadows at Busch Stadium after a loss, I’m gonna break something. It’s ridiculous for grown men to be complaining about a perceived disadvantage that – if it exists – AFFECTS BOTH TEAMS. It’s just silly. The Cardinals need to drive runs home, not complain about conditions they’ve had to deal with all season. That kind of “extenuating circumstance” mentality is not one that wins championships.

Finally, we come to the series I may know the least about – the Yankees and the Orioles. I want to do the cliche thing here and cite the season series at 10-9 in favor of the Yankees. (Well 11-9 after last night). Last night showed us that CC Sabathia is not to be forgotten. I read on Twitter somewhere that his was the longest start in the playoffs since Catfish Hunter. The real question of this series focuses on the Yankees more than Baltimore. Because the O’s do not lose close games, there is immense pressure on the Yankees to hit and hit well, especially early on. They blew up late, which is uncharacteristic of the Orioles’ bullpen, and the Yankees can’t count on that all postseason. I think ultimately, experience triumphs here, but you never know with Buck and His Scrappy Showalters.

Coming up today we have Washington at St. Louis (Zimmerman v Garcia). The Cardinals are looking to rebound down 1-0 against a pitcher that they’ve lit up this season (11 ER in 10 IP). New York goes to Baltimore and Pettite takes the mound against Chen. That sentence just warms my heart. It’s beautiful.

Anyway, stay here with the DSR and we’ll keep you posted with reactions and analysis. Follow Jamie @TheDSportsRant and me @spfleming.

One game against the Baltimore Orioles for the rights to play the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

I couldn’t imagine a better situation for tonight’s game. Yu Darvish is pitching for Texas, and the Orioles have never faced him.

On the other hand, Joe Saunders starts for Baltimore, who has a 0-6 lifetime record in six starts at the Ballpark, with a 12.51 ERA. His last start in the Ballpark was in 2010 however, and the Rangers haven’t faced him since (he was with the Angels at that point, before moving over to the National League with Arizona. Baltimore acquired him in August of this year).

With that in mind, here are tonight’s Three Keys:

1. Yu Needs to Command His Fastball Early

We all know that the book on Yu is to let him come to you, especially if he can’t locate his fastball early. When he gets behind in counts, the advantage of never pitching against this team before is gone. It’s imperative against a team that hasn’t seen him live, for Yu to get ahead in the count and get outs with his off-speed stuff (pretty elementary thought, I know).

2. Don’t Rely on the Long Ball

Joe Saunders tends to let the ball leave the park when he pitches in Texas. In six starts at the Ballpark, he’s allowed 13 home runs. The Rangers hit 42 home runs in the month of September, their highest total for any month this season (for an average of 1.5 home runs/game). October has gotten off to a slower start, and the team hit an abysmal .216 while being swept by Oakland.

However, Texas needs to make sure that they are getting base runners, and that those base runners are scoring. Their OBP has been on the decline since August (from .347 to .266) Singles and doubles work just as well as homers.

3. Finish on Defense

This team’s defense was embarrassing against Oakland, recording five errors in the last two games of the series, climaxing with a dropped fly ball by Josh Hamilton that set the Twitterverse afire with hatred. Tonight, the team needs to make a conscious effort to finish the play when they get the ball. Field it cleanly, and make a smart, accurate throw.

Sure, the Rangers just dropped two of three to the Angels, when they should have, at the very least, won both games on Sunday.

However, Texas’ magic number is now two, and all it takes to lock up the third consecutive AL West Division Title is one win against Oakland.

That’s it. The Rangers are still in complete control of the division, and their destiny.

Even after a wildly inconsistent September, one that saw the Rangers go 15-13, they still maintain a two game lead on the A’s heading into the final series of the season.

Trust me, the Rangers will get one win.

It may not happen tonight, with Martin Perez on the mound, but it will happen. If not tonight, tomorrow, when Matt Harrison goes for his 19th win of the season (Cy Young award, anyone?).

I’m also not worried about Adrian Beltre (shoulder) and Michael Young (Achilles) leaving games early last night. They’ll be fine, and if they’re not, they’ll muster up whatever cojones they need to get out on that field and perform.

I’m not concerned that Joe Nathan blew his second save in seven opportunities since he converted 31 saves in a row. He came back out in game two of the doubleheader and locked it down.

In fact, I’m not really worried about anything at all.

The Rangers are going to win the division again, and they’re going to head into the postseason with enough time to rest up the majority of their bumps and bruises (minus, perhaps, Mike Adams).

So, watch for it. By midnight tomorrow, the Rangers will be the AL West Division Champs.

Despite last night’s beatdown at the hands of the A’s, and the close loss courtesy of Mark Lowe the night before, it’s not quite panic time in Arlington.

After all, with seven games left in the regular season, the Rangers have a three game lead and four games to play against the A’s.

With Matt Harrison pitching tonight, one can safely assume that the Rangers will extend their division lead back to four games this evening, in the process decreasing their magic number to three.

With a win tonight, the Rangers would need to win three out of their remaining six games to clinch the division. Of course, as is standard with any magic number, an A’s loss reduces it by one. So, theoretically, the Rangers could not win another game after tonight and still clinch the division, so long as the A’s lose as well.

So, consider me not scared. A’s fans can beat their chest, but the reality of the situation is that they just beat two starting pitchers that won’t even sniff time come the playoffs.

No offense to Scott Feldman and Martin Perez, but they aren’t exactly in the Rangers’ top three.

In fact, the majority of the bullpen arms that saw work in the last two games, specifically Justin Grimm, Wilmer Font, Michael Kirkman and ESPECIALLY Mark Lowe, won’t be seeing much time when they postseason starts.

If they come in the game, then you know something has gone horribly wrong.

I do question why Wash went with Lowe over Nathan on Tuesday night though. I understand that it would have been Nathan’s third night of work, but with the game tied, and the 9,1 and 2 hitters coming up in the bottom of the inning, it isn’t a far reach to assume Texas could have manufactured a run. Especially if they hadn’t had to face A’s closer, Grant Balfour, who I’m 95% convinced did the world’s longest line of cocaine before stepping on the mound.

Balfour terrifies me. He was twitching, and cussing himself out under his breath and generally all over the place.

But, that’s neither here nor there.

The fact of the matter is that Texas is still in the drivers’ seat. Not the other way around.

With that in mind, and knowing the type of mettle this team has, I’m not concerned about the remainder of this season.

But, if the Rangers lose tonight, come back and talk to me again. I may have changed my tune.

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About Jamie

The site is owned and operated by Jamie Plunkett, a TCU graduate with a B.S. in advertising and public relations. In short, he’s a sports junkie. Born and raised in Dallas, he grew up following Dallas sports closely and passionately. He created the Dallas Sports Rant as an opportunity to unleash his sports knowledge and bias on the rest of the world. He also performs a pretty excellent karaoke version of Ice Ice Baby.